True Balance: How to Set Joy-Oriented Goals

When I first began my relationship with yoga, it was a mode for building strength and intensity. Most recently it has become a method to transition into a new phase of my living. Yoga has been a method for finding joy in the practice, and also a way to set and achieve goals. In many ways, yoga is a reflection of the changing nature of the dynamic between self and action. And for some of us, finding the balance between joy and achievement is a bit of a tightrope walk.

But where I was once lost without a sense of balance, I am now being righted. Can achievement and results really produce joy? Can one be happy at the attainment of a goal, without losing her mind by being attached to a certain outcome? I believe that it is possible to have enjoyment and pursue goals. It doesn’t have to be one without the other. You can create achievement any way you want, so you might as well create a process that produces enjoyment in the results.

I had a revolution. I tossed away the clock and allowed myself to get lost in the process of being with myself. This method allowed me to see and feel my practice in an entirely new way. Sometimes simplicity is a necessity. Keeping life simple can bring epic rewards and breakthroughs in unexpected ways. It can free up your brain to rework or revamp other areas of living that need more focus. It can help you achieve your goals - but first, get a goal!

What do you want to get better at? Choose something, and then do it. Allow yourself to get lost in the process. Enjoy the process and you’ll be more apt to achieve your goal.

Joy-Oriented, Goal-Finding Yoga Practice:

Choose an exercise or pose that you want to improve upon.

Set a timer.

Work in the pose for as long as the time is set.

Notice gains as you work.

Rework the misses by asking, “How else can I do this?”

Stay in your research and science mind, calculating and going back to the drawing board as many times as you need to make a gain.

Pick a goal and don’t let it go. The reward comes with consistent action after the goal is achieved. Doing something for no reason won’t help you maintain your journey toward your goal. Establish a “why.” Why is your goal important to achieve? What will achieving this goal help advance in your life? Make the goal purpose-driven and relevant to your life.

Be careful what you wish upon yourself, both in thought and action, because the two go hand-in-hand. What we think about becomes our actions, and our actions can perpetuate our thinking.

Sometimes it means hashing through the problems of the mind - problems we create just to have something to do. Humans are by nature problem-solving machines. If we do not have something that requires our ability to think or solve, we will embark on a new project or create a challenge in our own life as a way of entertaining the mind.

Don’t just keep reading this article, if it speaks to you about the need to set a goal, get to it. Now! Write down a goal and the steps to get there. Then, write down what the goal means to you. How will it improve you as a person? Enjoy this process and enjoy working with your goals.